San Miguel County commissioners on Oct. 22 described two ballot measures they unanimously put before voters that would exempt specified county funds from a state‑imposed 5.25% growth cap and stabilize funding for local services.

Ballot Measure 1A would lift the new state cap for the county’s childcare and community mental health funds. County staff told the meeting the combined fiscal impact would be modest at the household level; Jared Biggs, San Miguel County deputy manager, said the estimated cost for a residential property assessed at $100,000 would be $1.19 per year in 2026 and $5.13 per $100,000 of commercial assessed value.

Ballot Measure 1B would formally reauthorize the county’s historical 1.9‑mill allocation for road and bridge and lift the 5.25% cap on that levy. The county explained that voters previously approved 0.5 mills for road and bridge; the county supplements that with an additional 1.4 mills to reach 1.9 mills in total. The measure asks voters to make that structure permanent and to allow the county to collect beyond the state cap on that dedicated revenue stream. County staff provided an estimate that lifting the cap on the 1.9 mills would provide about $328,000 in additional road maintenance revenue in 2026; the estimated household effect is $1.49 per $100,000 of assessed residential value and $6.45 per $100,000 of commercial value.

Why the measures were proposed
County staff and commissioners framed the measures as responses to two separate policy pressures:
- A recent state law (referenced in the meeting as Senate Bill 233) established a 5.25% limit on year‑over‑year increases in revenue that taxing jurisdictions may collect absent voter approval. The county said the cap would otherwise reduce funding available to critical local programs.
- The county identified childcare and mental‑health services and road maintenance as areas where existing revenue has proven “overstretched” and where restoring previously authorized local revenue flexibility would preserve service levels. Commissioners said road maintenance complaints are frequent, particularly on the East End of the county, and that making the 1.9‑mill arrangement permanent would secure funds that had been provided through internal transfers in the past.

Commission action and next steps
County staff said both measures were placed on the ballot by unanimous vote of the commissioners (no detailed roll call recorded in the transcript). Staff recommended voters review the ballot language that specifies fund uses. If voters approve, the county said it would be able to collect those funds up to the reauthorized mill levies without the 5.25% state cap limiting year‑to‑year increases.

What officials said about spending priorities
County officials described general uses rather than project‑level allocations: childcare and mental‑health funds would support those services broadly; the road and bridge fund would be used for ongoing maintenance and to reduce reliance on transfers from the general fund. County staff said prior midyear transfers (an additional $350,000 allocated this year) were used to address immediate road priorities but that a voter‑approved lift would avoid drawing on the county’s general fund for those expenses in future years.

Details to watch
- The ballot language and official voter materials will specify the exact statutory mechanics and the funds affected.
- The county provided per‑$100,000 estimates for 2026 but did not present long‑term revenue projections in the meeting.

No additional formal vote was recorded on the measures during the Oct. 22 public session; county staff said they would continue public outreach and answer community questions as ballots are distributed.